Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 6:16 (TPT); Luke 14:16-17 (KJV); Luke 14:20-24 (KJV); 1 Chronicles 1-5 (MSG); 1Chronicles 1-5 (AMPC);1 Chronicles 29:1-5 (MSG); 1 Chronicles 29:6-8 (MSG); 1 Chronicles 29:14-19 (MSG); 2 Chronicles 31: 9-10 (AMPC);
Pastor John:
Hello, everybody. Thank you for joining Pastor Sharon and I in this session again today. We are glad that we can have Ecclesia together. We can have Church together.
Pastor Sharon:
Local Church together.
Pastor John:
Local Church together. It’s such a marvellous thing that we have this way of getting together and being together. Pastor Sharon and I have prayed, and we just wanted to declare over the airwaves with you watching and in agreement right now that everything that you need to hear, you will hear that your heart is open and ready to receive, your ears will hear and everything that needs to come into your life by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God will be your portion through these messages, through this message today and through these vessels. So thanks for tuning in. We know you will be blessed today. In Jesus’ name.
Pastor Sharon:
In Jesus’ name.
Pastor John:
Pastor Sharon, I want to just open with a fairly radical thought.
Okay? If I was a billionaire and I was saying I want to come and hang out with you, want to come and stay in your home, and I want to come, walk around with you, I want to hear about everything you’re doing. I want to just be with, just come and hang out with you; come and stay in your house and be part of everything you’re doing. I wonder what would change for you? I wonder if you would start asking questions. Like as a billionaire, what decision would you make here? As a billionaire or as a person who’s got all these resources? How would you go about this? How would you go about that?
It’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? What about if someone had tremendous government influence and had powers with all with many governments, and especially your own government, if they came and said, “I’m gonna hang out with you and we’re going to just walk together and live together for a week or two.” I wonder what you would do then?
Well, I’m just starting this off by saying, where we have started and had this conversation is second Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16, where God said, 16I will make my home in them. I walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16 TPT) That’s like not just a billionaire; the owner of all resources everywhere, is actually coming to live with you, the most influential person in government, anywhere on the earth is walking with you and living in you. The best relationship person ever is actually walking with you and living with you.
So when we use the scripture and say, “It’s God”, somehow we can become a little sort of airy-fairy about it, you know what I’m saying, Pastor Sharon? It’s like we kind of put it, “that’s a God thing. It’s not, it’s not really real or practical to our lives.”
That’s why I started the conversation, that the great God that He is and the great God that we are serving is the God that’s walking amongst us. He’s the Billionaire of all billionaires. He’s the Relationship of all relationships. He’s the most powerful influencer ever. He wants to walk with us and live in us. He wants to help us make decisions in our lives, and have His thinking and live out His life on the earth. I would say that’s as good as it can get. If you can live like that.
Pastor Sharon:
Well, that is the highest…
Pastor John:
The highest life right?
Pastor Sharon:
The highest life and it’s worth believing that such a God does live in us, and walk with us.
Together:
It’s worth believing.
Pastor John:
There’s no downside to it. The only downside to it, I guess, is that your ego takes a knock.
Pastor Sharon:
That you’re not all that.
Pastor John:
That you’re not all that. But that God is all that.
Pastor Sharon:
The One that is all that actually lives in you.
Pastor John:
So then it’s about your ego that says, “Thank you, I want to make my own decision because I want to take credit for what I do, I don’t want God to take credit.” Then it becomes a self-centred ego-based decision. It’s quite harsh hey? It’s quite tough. Anyway, it is the way it is.
Pastor Sharon:
It is the way it is. Truth is truth.
Pastor John:
Truth is truth. Yeah, and if I can, if we can do without ego, we’d all be better off. Anyway.
Pastor Sharon:
Yeah, this is Matthew 18, like little children; without ego.
Pastor John:
Without ego. Exactly. Exactly. Babe, you want to take us away and do a bit of recapping with us?
Pastor Sharon:
Yes. We did some recapping last Sunday as well, you know, Pastor John. A bit of a recap here. We recapped from the Message Bible about “What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough.” Again, the Lord is asking us all the question, What is your more for?
What is your more for? So He’s asking the question, Pastor John and I are really not asking this question of you. The Lord is asking us to ask on His behalf. “What is your more for?” So He does expect a response. Inside of myself, I’ve been responding to God with that question. And going to the scriptures that He has been making available to us, John. It’s a personal choice to answer that or to ignore the question.
It’s a personal choice. So we had a look at that and we had a look at the scripture in Haggai, that people were saying, it’s not time to build now, and God is saying, “Well, what time is it then? Is it time for you to build your house?” You know, and then he goes on to say that the people really listened to God, not just vaguely or partly, but wholeheartedly. They all got ready to work, and to build because it was a time of God to build.
That’s the thing that God is getting through to us at this time, He’s saying, “It’s time to build now. It’s a new era. We’re going through.” We’ve gone through the new open door, and it’s a new era, and so He is building now with us here. In our local church. He’s speaking very clearly about that.
So you know, Pastor John, something that I had an experience with the Lord this week on Monday, and I was just going through a message because I keep my foot in the message, too. I was going through the message of the 7th of March, you know, and you were speaking about, we were speaking about The great awakening, and then we were speaking about the worthy platform. And then you said, Pastor John, don’t say this message is not for me, and then you brought, you were inspired to bring Luke 14, you said this, this is really come upon my heart very big now, I have something to say. You know, there was this time when Jesus talked about a parable of a man who wanted to have a wedding.
He had all these invited guests, and so, you know, that was, it’s part of, it’s in Luke 14, 16, the scripture that Pastor John was referring to, and Jesus is the one talking here, and then Jesus said unto him, 16Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, of course Jesus is talking here about the Father, who makes a great supper and invited many. Let me actually read it from, oh no, it is the King James here, and bade many: or invited many 17And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, invited Come; for all things are now ready. (Luke 14:16-17 KJV)
We are in such a time now John, recognition of the time all things are now so ready for God, we are working with God on His timeline. Pastor John and I’s agenda from God is to get you onto His time. To get you onto His agenda.
Right? 17And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said I’ve got ground I’ve got land you know I’ve got something else to do. Because you know I’ve got things. and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen,
I’ve got other stuff in our terms of today’s stuff I’ve got other stuff. And I bought a piece of ground and I need to go see it and I got oxen please excuse me. I’ve got family things. You don’t understand I got my children and I’ve got school things, and I got we’ve got this family things. So please excuse me.
Pastor John:
Pastor Sharon, if I can just quickly refer to that. I see them as three categories. The one is legacy investments, current commercial activities and relationship. So if people say, “I’m too busy” and the excuses they’re going to make, they’re going to say, “I’m too busy building my legacy of financial wealth.” So that’s legacy financial investment property. The second one is “I’ve got oxen.” Which is, I’m working on business deals right now I’ve got in modern day language, I’ve got things going on business going on, I must do those things. Those are important to me, and then I’ve got relationships that are more important to me than actually coming to, to the invitation of God.
Pastor Sharon:
To anything, He may invite you too. Because our relational things take precedence above what God might be inviting us to in building.
Pastor John:
That even applies to this current time frame, when we do this message for church. And then people say, “I’m too busy to even watch church service on TV.”
Pastor Sharon:
Sho Pastor John, well He took it to very much finer points to that to me on the Monday morning. So you know, but this is, this is very real to God.
Pastor John:
If they can’t even make time to watch church services, in a time of virus, lockdown. And say, “I’m too busy to watch church services.” Nevermind, go to church, never mind be involved with the things of God. You know, where does that put them at the center of their world? Rather than God anywhere in their world?
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John:
So I just wanted to clarify…
Pastor Sharon:
“But I need God to bless my oxen and my land, and my relationship…”
Pastor John:
Exactly, “I need the blessing of God so that this all can be fruitful…”
Pastor Sharon:
“So I seek first my stuff. So God must bless me seeking first my stuff…”
Pastor John:
“After all I am a Christian. And I sometimes give…”
Pastor Sharon:
“And I sometimes give. And I sometimes give big…”
You know and so, I was meditating on this in my own personal time with God. And I said, Lord, “How wonderful have been these meetings that we had in Witbank? The two that we had last last week. How beautiful were they and how beautiful was the…
Pastor John:
You mean, when we met with the people?
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, when we met for the people. Here’s the invitation that came to everybody in Witbank. Join us for a time of reconnecting fellowship, and holy conversation, the Lord had me go and read it because this came from the Lord, even though you had to invite them.
This came from the Lord to them. Join us for a special meetup with Pastor John, Pastor Sharon, the A-team and the MiXchange interns, as we share the Big and the Bold that God is doing in our ministry. Register online. Then it came like this to the Joburg church, please do everything you can to join. This is God’s invitation.
Pastor John:
Right.
Pastor Sharon:
To have come last week.
Pastor John:
We are His messengers to bring the invitation.
Pastor Sharon:
So I said, Lord, but there were those that didn’t come? He got all over me Pastor John.
Pastor John:
Wow.
Pastor Sharon:
Then He said this to me “Tell them how I view their response. My great supper is all in my Local Church.” These invitations, the Lord said, “Please tell them they were not from Pastor John or Pastor Sharon, they were from Me. I wanted them there.”
Then this came out when Pastor John and I invited you to come to anything at the church, it’s us representing the Lord. The Holy Spirit is leading Pastor John in the local church to do the next thing and the next thing. That’s the thing even people that have been with us for a long time, don’t believe that you actually call a meeting being led by the Holy Spirit. And if they do believe that, then it grieves it actually, God allowed me to feel His emotions, my darling. He said this, “Tell them how I view their response. My great supper is all in My local church.” So I’m just responding to the Lord now today, John. He’s not… “It’s all, is it all beneath you, to come? Are you so above an invitation like this, Heritage of faith precious people?” He’s not taking “No,” this is what He asked me to tell you. He’s not taking no for an answer from you.
He’s not listening to your excuses; in case you think He is. So He wanted me to tell you from Him, He’s not excusing you in case you think your excuses are okay with Him. It’s not okay.
Pastor John:
It’s not acceptable.
Pastor Sharon:
No, no, He’s looking for your obedience. He’s not interested in your sacrifices for you to say, “Well, I do tithe and I do, you know, occasionally give.” He’s not interested in your sacrifices. He’s interested in your obedience to the local church, and being in the local church, and involved, and in seeking first His kingdom in this way. To isolate is to violate at this time. At any time, and He said, He said this to me, “RSVP.” He takes it personally. Then I wrote this down, “Lord, how can you speak to me like this?” It must be you, Pastor Sharon. This is you speaking to me like this. The Lord said to me, “Just tell them from Me today. You don’t slight Pastor John and Sharon, when you don’t pitch, you slight Me.” And if you’re interested in what that word slight means, it means to cold shoulder, to ignore, to just shake it off as if these meetings are not for you. The Lord wanted me to say that Pastor John.
Pastor John:
Because the logical thought pattern that people go through is, obviously they’re the head of the ministry, so they must start getting people back to church. So, they think that it’s our agenda, to get people back to church couldn’t possibly be God’s, God’s agenda, it’s just our agenda. You know, it would be in the same vein as in a time of COVID, a company’s making a decision to allow their employees to work from home. And then the bosses say, “No, you must come back to work.” And then, so then they would say, “Oh, but that’s your agenda to get us back to work.” Because maybe they’re not working as productively at home. Or maybe they’re working hours that they want to work, and getting the job done. And they say, “I still want the latitude to do what I want to do.”
But the boss is saying, “But who’s paying you?” You know, and for the, for the children of God in church, He’s saying, “Who’s giving you life? Who’s giving your breath? Who’s actually, whose given you salvation? Who’s your Redeemer?” And He requires that we do not forsake the gathering together of ourselves. He requires for us to be together for the Body of Christ to minister to each other and through each other.
Pastor Sharon:
Because Pastor John, the response here is that this man who made this great feast did not accept any of those excuses, in fact, he became angry. God is a God that becomes angry.
Pastor John:
Read that scripture, my babes.
Pastor Sharon:
And another said, I married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. The master of the house being angry said. So now the Word of God tells us when angry don’t sin and God’s like that, God gets angry. He was angry with the people in the wilderness, He was grieved for 40 years with them.
So don’t think that your excuses don’t directly affect the heart of God, you know John.
And the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go into the streets and the lanes and bring the other people in that want to come in. They want to accept my invitation. There are other people that will listen to My invitation. And the servant said, it is done and yet there is room. And the lord said to the servant, Go into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of these men which were biden or invited shall taste of my supper (Luke 14:20-24 KJV).
So you will not taste of the things of God and Pastor John. Those two evenings we had here in Witbank and that Sunday morning we had in Joburg, I tasted personally, of the presence of God and the beauty of God and what He is saying to you, how to go big and bold. I tasted and the people that came tasted. I tasted of the supper and the people that didn’t come, they didn’t eat and they didn’t taste, and Jesus said, “There we go. It’s just like that for you then. You don’t come, you don’t taste, you don’t eat off My things. You just keep tasting your own things. Eat your own things.”
Pastor John:
Again Pastor Sharon if I can put this in a context you know. The Bible says a thousand years is as a day and a day as a thousand years because in the spirit realm dimension speed of light makes it like there’s no time. So we as a human people living on the earth right now we’re living in this 70, 80, 90-year bubble that we live in as human beings and we think it’s a long time, but to be sure in God’s mind Jesus died on the cross two days ago. Jesus died on the cross just the other day, and He rose from the dead. In eternity time it just happened and we are His Church, we are His people. So if we think that God’s got thousands and thousands of years. You know we have to understand that in the time of the spirit God’s moving now, God’s doing things in the now, right now.
In every bubble of group of people that are living on the earth, we need to recognize that our walk-in God is just this short time when we have our ability to say, “In this short time of my humanity on the earth what can I do Father to show You that I love You? To live for You, to be what Your plans and purposes are because I’ve got this very short time to invest in my eternity.” It’s got everything to do with Jesus dying and my recognition of Jesus’ death and His resurrection and I will walk with them and I will be their God and they will be My people and I want My kingdom to come on the earth, and we have this very short time and we’re saying, “No, thank You. We don’t want You to be invited to anything You did, but You just died for me. You just gave everything for me.”
Pastor Sharon:
I needed to say that because He said to me, “Tell them how I view their response.”
So from God to you; He knows when you are making excuses, and He’s not taking your excuses. Just in case you thought he was precious one. You need to know that.
So, Pastor John, I am going to move along from there, because we are talking about the time of God, you know? And God wants us on His agenda right now. And that’s always been the way He has moved when He has moved in a time.
Pastor John:
Right.
Pastor Sharon:
He said: “Bring them together. Call them to a meeting, call them to a meeting so that I can talk, so I can show. Call them together. Call them together.” It’s always the way that God has done things. So here’s a collective greatness at a time when God was building His house.
Now, we have brought the scripture to you before, Pastor John and I. But the Lord wants you to have a look at it again. Because remember, these messages are so that you can turn around and change and become like a little child and become Kingdom minded concerning money and wealth.
Pastor John:
Absolutely.
Pastor Sharon:
And not remain worldly minded. Right. So here’s the scripture in Chronicles, Pastor John. You know, actually, if I can go to the Message Bible, and He said this to me, He said this scripture in one Chronicles 21, 91, in the Message Bible, is prophetic for all of the Heritage of Faith people now, right now.
This entire chapter is in the heart of God for us, as a people, right now, that’s all of us. So, again, no excuse. Just don’t make your excuses to God because He’s not taking them. Rather get with the program because He’s got great things for you. So here He says, here in verse one, 1-5…the work is huge–this is not just a place for people to meet each other, but a house for God to meet us (1 Chronicles 29:1 MSG).
Pastor John:
Yes. The Amplified Bible says, 1And King David said to all the assembly, Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is yet young, tender, and inexperienced; and the work is great, for the palace is not to be for man but for the Lord God (1 Chronicles 29:1 AMPC).
Pastor Sharon:
Here is David. David is the king. Right? And he says here in the Message Bible, 1-5I’ve done my best to get everything together for building this house for my God (1 Chronicles 1-5 MSG).
We are building for our God. God is not about church buildings. But the very powerful thing He showed me this week, Pastor John, is that I use a physical building, to build my people together spiritually.
Pastor John:
That is powerful, Sharon.
Pastor Sharon:
My darling, it hit me. “I am just so smart. I did it in the time of Moses. I did it in the time of David, I did it… I always use an actual building of a physical building to build My people spiritually.”
That’s so loaded, my darling, we could go everywhere with that, but we will stay with this. So, 1-5I’ve done my best to get everything together for building this house for my God, all the materials necessary: gold, silver, bronze, iron, lumber, precious and varicoloured stones, and building stones – vast stockpiles (1 Chronicles 29:1-5 MSG). Verse three, Message Bible. 3Furthermore, my heart is in this (1 Chronicles 29:1-5 MSG). What does the Amplified Bible say? I’ve set my affection.
Pastor John:
Verse three, 3…I have set my affection on the house of my God, in addition to all I have prepared for the holy house, so he says, I have set my affection on it, and I have prepared what I’ve got for the holy house.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, “I have a private treasure.”
Pastor John:
I have a private treasure of gold and silver which I give for the house of my God (1 Chronicles 29:3 AMPC).
Pastor Sharon:
That’s exactly what we do. We don’t tell everybody about our giving that we do personally, like David does for the house of the Lord.
Pastor John:
He was making it public here that he had a private treasure.
Pastor Sharon:
He was making it public here, that he had a private treasure and we made it public, and we won’t say anything now because many of you did not come. But we made it public about our private treasure at this time that we are giving.
So that it could break open, because look what happens here. I’m turning over my personal fortune of gold and silver for making this place of worship for my God (1 Chronicles 29:1 MSG).
In the end, in verse five, it says here, the gold and silver work by craftsmen and artisans. And how about you? David said at that time. He didn’t always do that. But at the time of building, he said, “And now, how about you? Who among you is ready and willing to join in the giving?” (1 Chronicles 29:1-5 MSG).
Ready and willing verse 6, Message the heads of families, the heads of families, my darling what a beautiful picture. Leaders of the tribes of Israel, commanders and captains in the army, we are in the army of the Lord, stewards of the king’s affairs, stepped forward and gave willingly. (1 Chronicles 29:6-8 MSG). Isn’t that a beautiful picture? In verse 9, in the Message says, 9And the people were full of a sense of celebration. And that’s what’s happening here now among many of us that are coming that are coming and attending and listening. …a sense of celebration – all that giving! And all given willingly, freely! King David was exuberant. In Verse 17 he says, 17I know Dear God, that you care nothing for the surface, you want us, our true selves (1 Chronicles 29:17 MSG).
Pastor John:
So there’s the link. There is exactly the link. He cares nothing for the building. He was just using the building, to draw the people together to get the true selves out of them and to get their treasure, because ultimately wanted to bless them as a people.
Pastor Sharon:
Exactly, exactly. We are going to see that in our next scripture that we’re going to in second Chronicles in the time of Hezekiah, when there was a lot of building. It was a time for building at that time. He says here, you want our true selves, and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy! (1 Chronicles 29:19 MSG).
Pastor John, the people that are coming and are getting involved or doing this. They’re giving joyfully and willingly and we’re celebrating.
Pastor John:
We’re celebrating, we’re rejoicing.
Pastor Sharon:
God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always (1 Chronicles 29:14-19 MSG).
Pastor John:
Because it says there, 18O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the minds of Your people, and direct and establish their hearts toward You (1 Chronicles 29:14-19 AMPC). So it’s a generous spirit.
Pastor Sharon: Yes
Pastor John:
And may that generous spirit, in their might, may be in Your people and direct and establish their hearts towards You.
That is what happens when you have a generous heart. Then you see the work of God and you see that God’s calling you to it. It affects your heart towards God forever. On the contrary, if you hold back it affects your heart towards God also.
Pastor Sharon:
But the recognition of a time of giving. If you just give as usual, you know. To recognize a time of giving John, for a time of building, is another thing too. It’s an important thing to God. And give your servants, and I put in here Pastor John, but it is my son Solomon, and give your servant, Pastor John an uncluttered, focused heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel and carry through Pastor John, with building this now for which we have provided, for which the people are providing now. Hallelujah. So that was important. The Lord wanted us to just look at that scripture again (1 Chronicles 29:14-19 MSG).
Now we’re going to go to the Scripture and second Chronicles Chapter 31. Of course, I did mention to you before to read second Chronicles Chapter 29, and 30. Because it’s a story that God is telling about King Hezekiah who’s building. But we can’t go into all of that now. But we go into second Chronicles 31 after he’s been building and he’s almost done what we’ve done in the last 20 years: Pastor John. But now it’s a new era. Now it’s a new era and now it’s a new time. It says here, so for context, if you are serious about understanding what God is saying here, please go to chapters 29 and 30. So He says here; So when all this was finished, in the previous chapters. Verse 2, Amplified Bible. Hezekiah appointed the priests and the Levite’s after their divisions, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord.
King Hezekiah’s personal contribution. Same as David in his time of building.3King Hezekiah’s personal contribution was for the burnt offerings: [those] of morning and evening, for the Sabbaths, for the New Moons, and for the appointed feasts, as written in the Law of the Lord. 4He commanded the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and Levites, that they might [be free to] give themselves to the Law of the Lord.
As soon as the command went forth, the Israelites. Look how they listened, look how they listened. Because there had been a preparation period, that’s right, in chapters 29 and 30. It had been a preparation period and there was a repenting of the people, there was a change of heart in the people and then now this is what happened because they had a change of heart. That’s right. Hallelujah. And that is what’s happening mightily in so many people of Heritage of Faith, they are really with God. That’s why God is appealing to those of you who are not part of it yet. He’s saying, Why are you not coming? Why are you not part of this yet? You must come.
5As soon as the command went abroad, the Israelites gave in abundance. So it would be like us saying, “come on Heritage of Faith people, its time to build now, its time to bring your offerings”, because that’s what Hezekiah did at that time. “It’s time now, bring it, bring it”. He commanded them to bring it John and look, how beautiful was their response. They were happy, they weren’t sad.
It says, He commanded the people and as soon as the command went abroad verse 5, the Israelites gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, vintage fruit, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6 The people of Israel and Judah who lived in Judah’s cities also brought the tithe of cattle and sheep and of the dedicated things which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and please notice what they did here and they laid them in heaps. heaps.
7In the third month [at the end of wheat harvest] they began to lay the foundation or beginning of the heaPastor and finished them in the seventh month. 8When Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, that’s kind of where we’re at right now, we are looking at the heaps John, it’s starting to heap up, supernaturally, supernaturally. It’s starting to heap up because the people are getting these messages. They are allowing the Holy Spirit to move on them to be obedient to follow through on what He’s telling them to do, right. They saw the heaps.
Verse 8, they blessed the Lord and His people Israel. 9Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and Levites about the heaPastor. 10Azariah the high priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him. This is very important verse 10 for you to look at and get it. Since the people began to bring the offerings into the Lord’s house… So it was Firstfruits, it was tithes and it was offerings we have eaten and have plenty left, for the Lord has blessed His people, and what is left is this great store. 11Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare chambers [for storage] in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them…
Pastor John:
First fruit, tithes and offerings. Because now they’re talking directly about the offerings, not just the first fruits, not just the tithes, but also the offerings.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right. So 10Since the people began to bring the offerings into the Lord’s house, see, it was at that time. They had recognition of the time of God, we have eaten and have plenty left. For the Lord has blessed His people, not made them bankrupt. [Pastor Sharon laughing] The Lord has blessed His people (2 Chronicles 31: 9-10 AMPC).
Pastor John:
That is the whole intent of God’s saying, “If you recognize firstfruits, if you recognize tithing, if you recognize your offerings, giving to God, God will bless His people.” There is no doubt about it.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John:
God will bless His people.
Pastor Sharon:
This is the Kingdom mentality that we’re looking at right here and these people were not even born again, Pastor John.
Pastor John:
You know, Pastor Sharon, I’m reminded of a time when you and I had made bad decisions in our lives and got ourselves into debt.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, we did.
Pastor John:
And then God started to restore… When we returned back to faith. Faith in how to use our finances wisely, and as we returned to that, God started to bless us. As the blessing started to come, we made a decision to tithe 10% of our gross income.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, always our gross. We’ve always, till this day, we tithe on our gross income
Pastor John:
At that time, I was employed by a company; it wasn’t my own company, and there was very little tax manoeuvrability, you know. So I was an employee of a corporate company, but we tithe 10% of the gross income, then we tithe, we didn’t tithe we gave another 10% of the gross income.
The reason we decided to do that, Sharon, is because we made this decision. If God could bless us once, this way, then if we keep giving to God, at that level, He is on-abound by our faith and in our trust in Him to keep blessing and keep increasing the blessing.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right.
Pastor John:
So the first time around, it was challenging for us to do that because we had so much debt to pay off.
You know, and so if we had taken all 20% to pay off debt, it would have perhaps reduced the debt quicker. In the end, it only took three and a half years for us to pay off all of our debt because we chose to give God what we gave God. And so His increased on us, on our finances, year on year was so dramatic every year on year, it was almost this way, it was almost every year it doubled and doubled and doubled.
Pastor Sharon:
It sounds foolish to the natural mind that we got out of debt giving.
Pastor John:
Exactly!
Pastor Sharon:
We got out of debt giving.
Pastor John:
God accelerated our getting out of debt because we… I want to say double tithed, but we didn’t double tithe, we tithed and we gave an extra offering of 10%
Pastor Sharon:
We purpose in our own hearts to do that; to give that offering.
Pastor John:
So we got out of debt quicker. Because we gave so much because we trusted God with so much of our finances,
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, because we really believed in Seedtime and Harvest time.
Pastor John:
We believed in this principle; where it says, “as around the priest and into the Lord’s house we have eaten and plenty. Because for the Lord has blessed his people. And what is left is this great store. We believed that God blesses His people. We believe then that if He could bless us one year, He could bless us every year. If it’s about our giving and about our faith…
Pastor Sharon:
Exactly Pastor John.
Pastor John:
And from that time to now, that has not changed. You know, I recognize that there are some people that are receiving the blessing of God in their lives and money is flowing into your hands and prosperity is coming into your hands. God is showing you substantially that He wants to favor you, where some people are actually coming and just giving you gifts, like bicycles, cars and other things that people just give you. So I say this, Sharon.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John:
If people come and give you extravagant things. Why would you not respond to God?
Pastor Sharon:
Extravagantly?
Pastor John:
Extravagantly?
Pastor Shaton:
Yeah.
Pastor John:
After that?
Pastor Sharon:
Exactly.
Pastor John:
Why would you say, “I’ve done a little bit of giving and God has now blessed me. I’ll just keep giving a little.” I mean, surely, surely, this needs to energize you to want to do…
Pastor Sharon:
More, to do more
Pastor John:
A whole lot more because you got to say, “Look at what God’s doing.”
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John:
I want more of what God’s doing.
Pastor Sharon:
And that is why God is having things break loose. That’s what came through Brother Jerry. More and more finances are breaking loose. So My people can do more for My Kingdom.
Pastor John:
Here’s the kicker for this time that we recognize Sharon. Is that at this time the emergence of economies out of COVID-19 lockdowns.
The emergence of people’s finances. There’s a lot of turmoil, trouble. There’s a lot of people that are really struggling in the whole world, because of COVID. As I’ve said before, many, many times the enemy of God, the darkness, the evil one, Satan himself and his demons, they are out to steal, kill and destroy all of humanity. Not just the church, all humanity. That’s really his focus. What does Jesus want to do? What does the Father want to do? He wants to bless all humanity. But He can only bless those who receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
So if you’re a Christian, and you are living in this time, this is your moment. God is speaking right now. He wants to deliver you from the dark forces that want to destroy you. The way that He’s going to deliver you is not by your smarts, not by your saving, not by your intelligence, not by your careful management of your finances. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t be doing those things. But you should be doing that under the guidance and the leading and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. What God’s wanting to do is, I’m wanting to show the difference between dark and light right now.
The light, the people of light, the people of God, the people who believe in Jesus, this is your time. God is calling you saying, “Bring your first fruit, bring your offerings, bring your tithes, don’t try and keep your money so that you can manage your way in a time of trouble.” The Lord is saying, “I’m wanting to deliver you, I’m wanting to show you how strong and mighty I can be on your behalf in this time when others are going down. When this time when others are being destroyed. This is the time.”
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right
Pastor John:
It’s not a coincidence that God laid it on my heart and spoke to me at the end of last year and said be Big and Bold in 2021, John, and you obey Me, everything that I’m going to tell you to do. Part of that is I want you to do things in My house that are going to be under normal logic, you don’t do what we are currently doing. In a time when economies in depression and recession and economies of the world are struggling. But God is saying, “I want you to do this because as people bring, their deliverance happens, their blessings happen,” which is why the invitation to come to the House of the Lord. God is saying, “No excuses.”
Pastor Sharon:
No excuses.
Pastor John:
No excuses. This is blessing time.
Pastor Sharon:
Because this is your deliverance is.
Pastor John:
This is your deliverance time. This is where celebration begins. It’s not about, “Oh it’s just Pastor Sharon, they got to call the people back to church.” Listen Babe, we’ve lived by faith and we’ve lived in faith, we’ve trusted God all of our lives.
We’ve had a lot of people that have spoken to us directly and had comments to say, “We’re leaving this church, we’re taking our money with you and this is a sinking ship and we don’t wanna be part of your life.” And here we are, we’ve been in this ministry, running these churches for twenty-two odd, twenty-two years and it is getting stronger all the time. It is not going down because we trust God.
Pastor Sharon:
Pastor John, we’ve got heaps already.
Pastor John:
We got heaps.
Pastor Sharon:
It’s heaping. We are not the ones needing. God is the One giving you the opportunity to invest into eternity and to be part of His building plans right now. He wants to prove to us how He can let us live in our land of Goshen, even when the plagues are coming fast and furious on the known world. That’s what He did.
Pastor John:
Yes.
Pastor Sharon:
He wants to prove to us today. How we can live in the bubble of God’s Kingdom.
Pastor John:
In a God bubble of blessing.
Pastor Sharon:
When plagues are coming on the earth.
Pastor John:
Exactly.
Pastor Sharon:
He wants us out of Babylon. He wants us out of the world system, so He can show Himself strong on our behalf. Not only with our children and our children’s lives but financially.
Pastor John:
Yes. Our children, our finances, our health, our future, our purpose, our destiny.
Pastor Sharon:
His plan for us.
Pastor John:
His plan for us. In the short moment we’ve got on this life He’s inviting us to invest in eternity and invest in our walk with Him. Not just to be business as usual.
Pastor Sharon:
Sho John, He’s created a tremendous opportunity here. I pray that everybody will see it and have recognition of the time like we have.
Pastor John:
Tremendous opportunity. And so let’s pray for that now. We pray Father, that there will be this awakening in the hearts of Your people and those people that have just skirting around the edges of church life and all of the things that You are calling them to be. We pray Father, that they will sense the urgency of Your Holy Spirit, pulling them and calling them because You’re seeking to restore them, seeking to deliver them. You’re seeking them to come with their hearts open. Their hands open, so that You can bless them.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes Lord!
Pastor John:
So that they themselves can have so much abundance that they have their own heaps. Left over. Left over and that is the nature of God.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s the nature of God.
Pastor John:
So we pray that Father, and we pray that right now in this season, You protect Your people from illness and sickness and disease. We ask You to bring health and healing to their bodies. We ask You Father to bring restoration in relationshiPastor. We ask You to bring kindness and goodness and well-being to their finances and their overall wellness of their lives Father, as they obey Your word and they obey the invitation of the Lord to come and worship, to come and walk with God and let Him walk with them. In every area of your lives. In Jesus’ name.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, in Jesus’ name.
Pastor John
So now, may the peace of God be upon you. No weapon formed against you will prosper, in Jesus name and He gives His angels charge over you. Hallelujah.
Pastor Sharon:
Hallelujah.
Pastor John:
Thank you for being part of this service today. Thank you for listening to this message. We trust and we believe and we know that the Holy Spirit will minister life to you, through all of the words that we have spoken.
Pastor John:
In Jesus’ name.
Pastor Sharon:
In Jesus’ name.
Pastor John:
Thank you. We love you. God bless. Bye.
© 2024 – Heritage of Faith Ministries International
TOUCH | TEACH | TRAIN | TRANSFER
